The Chicago star., November 02, 1946, Page 4, Image 4

About The Chicago star. (Chicago, Ill.) 1946-1948

Image provided by: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library, Urbana, IL

                
4
Murray calls for "healthy”
steel wage demand
PHILADELPHIA —(FP) —Blaming “the worst inflation in our country’s history”
on “the lust and greed of American business,” CIO Pres. Philip Murray served notice here
that he would seek “healthy” wage increases for 900,000 steelworkers when contract talks
open Jan. 1. .... •
THE CHICAGO STAR, NOVEMBER 2, 19^6
CIO win
at Montgomery
52-25 was the score last week,
■when workers employed by the
Montgomery Company voted in
Warehouse & Distribution Work
ers Local 208, CIO, as collective
bargaining representative.
Officers of the local have call
ed a special meeting of plant em
ployees November 3 to discuss
and ratify a proposed contract to
be presented to the plant manage
ment.
Communists on the air
The Communist Party will be
on the air twice before election
day.
Party spokesmen will discuss
the issues in the election on Sat.,
Nov. 2nd, 10:15 p.m. over WMAQ,
and on Monday, Nov. 4th, 8:15
p.m. over WGN.
the chicaco
★ SSfJi®
is owned and published WEEKLY by
the Chicago Star Publishing Co.,
Inc., 166 West Washington Street.
Chicago 2, 111. Phone RANdolph 0580
Cable address: Chistar.
Frank M Davis Executive Editor
Carl Hirsch Managing Editor
William Sannett General Manager
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Entered as second class matter June
25, 1946 at the post office at Chicago,
Hi, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
Postal regulations require that all
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To Union Contract Negotiators:
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Take advantage of our many yean experience in dealing with workers
problems and insurance fanning.
Murray, who is also president
of the steelworkers union, re
ceived a 10-minute ovation from
266 delegates representing 40,000
members of Steelworkers Dist. 7
at the opening of their 2-day con
vention in Town Hall.
“The workers need the money,"
he declared, “and the day is rapid
ly nearing when our people will
not have enough money in their
pocketbooks to get the bare ne
cessities of life.
• • •
“AMERICAN industry is mak
ing plenty of money and dan well
afford to give healthy wage in
creases now without increasing
the price of commodities. This na
tion need not have any depres
sion. If industry, through collec
tive bargaining, stabilizes pur
chasing power by putting higher
pay in the worker’s envelope,
there’s no need for any depres
sion.”
Murray told the delegates that
current inflation “cannot be
blamed on the measly wage in_-
creases afforded labor in 1945
and 1946, but is attributed to the
greed, lust and selfishness of
AFL engineers protest
Reclassification of engineers on
the city payroll brought a sharp
protest this week from the Tech
nical Engineer and Architects As
sociation, Local 90-A, an AFL af
filiate, to Arthur G. Lindell, City
of Chicago Budget director.
The new job categories for en
gineers are being approved by
engineering societies and not by
the working engineer themselves,
Ursa C. Stringer, president of Lo
cal 90-A, said in a letter to Lln
dell.
‘To consult with the societies,”
Stringer said, “is inappropriate
since they are employer-dominat
ed organizations.” The letter of
fered the help of the Technical
Engineers and Architects Asso
ciation to “fairly evaluate a
change in classification.”
American industry and business."
Although federal statistics
showed that industry could afford
wage increases “without hoisting
prices to any inflationary or un
reasonable levels,” he pointed
cut, “strange as it may seem,
when the steelworkers received
their 18 yic boost, at a cost of
$l4O million to the steel industry,
the industry was allowed to
raise prices netting $262 million.”
• # #
THE CIO leader also called for
the defeat of reactionary con
gressmen who voted for price de
control, warning that if they are
reelected “they not only will see
that your dollar will buy less in
1947 but that you will get a good
dose of anti-labor legislation.”
At a press conference later
Murray said the exact amount of
the increase to be sought would
be determined at the steelwork
ers wage policy meeting in De
cember.
"Don’t vote
on November 5"
Says
J. Ward Heeler:
“I always have my boys
out to do the voting. Why
not let things go their way?”
iJvgL !
By “POP” DEARBORN
FDR AT SOLDIER FIELD
I was overseas, stationed in the great Mediterranean city of
Marseilles, when I heard about Roosevelt’s appearance in Soldier
Field.
It was a thrilling letter as I remember it. Reading the heart
warming lines from home, it was not hard to visualize that No
. vember night in Chicago.
A The weather was raw "Roosevelt weather” they
called it. All the approaches to the stadium were
jammed for hours before the meeting. The crowds
came direct from factories, stores and offices. House
wives and their youngsters rode the overcrowded
~ street cars to the huge field. It seemed as if every
public conveyance was stadium bound.
Long before the rally started
the upper tiers were filled, and
the mass of people seemed li
terally to spill over the brim of
the stadium. When Roosevelt
rode into the field, bareheaded,
smiling, waving to the hundred
thousand Chicagoans present, a
roar went up from the throats
of the people that shook the
windows in the La Salle Street
banks and rattled the shutters
on the Gold Coast mansions.
The people in their might,
united and * therefore strong,
proud in their strength, warm
in their sense of unity, gave an
inkling of the latent power
• * *
REACTION HAS UNITED
THE NOTORIOUS Liberty League and the pro-fascist America
First have merged in a new reactionary front. The many scattered
poisonous growths of home-grown fascist gangs now can expect
centralized financing and leadership.
The budget of the G.O.P. can be expanded without limit These
gentlemen of American Re-Action Incorporated are in the bucks.
And it was just this week that the press reported that Senator Van
denberg had the highest campaign expenditures of any congressional
candidate.
American Action, Incorporated, was born in Chicago. It could
also be buried here . . . once labor and the anti-fascist ranks under
take to recreate and maintain the unity which reached its peak at
Soldier Field in November, 1944.
# * •
UNITY IS LABOR'S MAGIC LAMP
The argument most often ad
vanced to explain and justify
the apathy that has character
ized most of this election cam
paign is that Roosevelt was
lacking the gifted, dynamic,
inspiring leadership of Roose
velt. ‘Truman betrayed labor
and took away its fighting
heart” is the repeated and un
deniable charge.
But that leaves unanswered
the more pertinent question
why should labor rely on some
single individual for its leader
ship and will to fight? Parilc-
• • •
THE WALLACE rally has been a heartening reminder that la
bor can give leadership not only to itself, but set the example for
the entire progressive community. The largest voters’ rally in the
current campaign was organized by the CIO unions In Chicago.
But it was first necessary to bury the hatchet at least tem
porarily between the divided CIO unions in Chicago before It was
possible. What a deep well of almost untapped enthusiasm and
mited effort is available for the people’s crusade for security and
,as ting peace!
Think, what could have been done with the Wallace meeting
had the local AFL and CIO leadership had the wisdom of their
rank and file, and jointly sponsored this election rally against re
action. It’s not Roosevelt that’s necessary. Labor must put into life
the knowledge we all have of what will happen If American Action,
Incorporated, succeeds.
Labor unity must come. But H must be sought and fought for,
and guarded as labor's most precious possession. Rub labor’s Alad
din’s lamp of unity, and the resulting genii serving progress and
peace will be more powerful than atomic energy.
Start labor fontm
debate series
The Chicago Labor Forum an
nounced this week a series es six
public debates on important Is
sues of the day, which will he
held monthly at the YI4CA au
ditorium, at 19 S. LaSalle St
First of the series win trice
place November 23, on “Why
stored up in this giant. The
colonels in their towers knew
that night, as never before, that
they would now have to re
double their efforts to sow
more discord among the people
if they were to defeat them.
The fear that gripped stock
exchange manipulators, big
packers, steel barons, railroad
magnates .and grain pit gam
blers that night did not result
in paralysis on their part. On
the contrary, it resulted in long
range planning and fat budgets
that have now blossomed forth
as American Action, Inc.
ularly since labor has tended too
often to seek its leadership
from the other side of the
tracks.
To defeat reaction and the
menace es an atomic war, labor
must unite with all who suffer
at the hands of the avaricious
and ruthless monopolies. Labor
will join hands with white col
lar folks, farmers, the corner
grocer, and the enlightened Wal
laces and Peppers. But labor
had best learn to rely on Its
own leadership within this
coalition.
Can’t You Get an Automobile?*
Labor’s position will be upheld by
James Wtshart, research fttrectol
of the CIO United Auto Work
ers, who will be opposed by
Geo**e Romney es the National
Automobile Manufacturers Asc£
riation. Tickets can be obtained
at room 504 at 160 W. Washing-
Urn, or by phone at Dearborn
am.